The lawsuit (Lane County Circuit Court Docket No. 15CV20442) states that
she was an excellent instructor, loved by her students, respected by her
peers, and received consistent positive reviews as well as a recent
promotion. But according to the lawsuit, after Professor Richardson
became pregnant with her partner, the University gave her an ultimatum:
She had to marry him immediately or proclaim the pregnancy was a
mistake, dissociate from the father, and raise the child as a single
mother. The complaint states that Dr. Dennis Lindsay, NCU’s Vice
President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty, told her that having
a child out of wedlock while still continuing a relationship with the
father was inconsistent with the University’s core values and mission
and set a “bad example” for the students. The lawsuit says that when
Professor Richardson refused the University’s demands and asked for
privacy, she was summarily fired.

“My partner and I love each other very much and we intend to have the
child, love it, and raise it together,” said Professor Richardson. “I do
not want to break up with him, and we hope to marry in the near future.”

Professor Richardson is represented by Jason Rittereiser and Dan Kalish
of HKM
Employment Attorneys. “This is blatant pregnancy and marital status
discrimination,” said Rittereiser. “The University should have supported
her in her pregnancy, but instead demeaned her life choices and made
unreasonable and inappropriate demands on her personal life. Although
NCU is a Christian University, it still has to abide by the most basic
employment discrimination laws in Oregon.”

A petition has been started to encourage the University to reinstate
Professor Richardson. This petition, along with a copy of the complaint
and other information about the case, can be found at https://hkm.com/richardson.